Caption: First Space Shuttle flight preparation. Space Shuttle astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen in the cockpit of the Space Shuttle Columbia, familiarising themselves with the controls in preparation for the first Space Shuttle flight, STS-1. STS-1 was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. Columbia launched on 12th April 1981 and returned to Earth on 14th April, having orbited the Earth 37 times during the 54.5-hour mission. Photographed at the Kennedy Space Center, USA, on 10th April 1980.